Back at the bar later that evening, Luigi welcomes the party. 😎Bori snaps out of his trauma trance, only to pass it on to 🧔♂️Harald.
The party tells Luigi that the monster has been dealt with, while 🐰Faefina avails herself of every cleaning service she can afford.
Luigi mentions some news: Kineeta is still in a coma, and Lenthor has arrived in the southern part of the continent, about two weeks ago, though Joanne and Torville are aiding the local side. Deelio, the Minotaur Crane, asks about the IncubumorumDomus. He congratulates them and offers another job.
He offers a small scroll, and mentions that there have been Feywild Crossings, and asks the the party notes where they are seen. He offers 91Gp for this service. 🧌Gronk accepts - Bori checks with Insight just in case, but detects no falsehood. The two decide to rest up. Delio plays Gronk at chess, with predictable results. Harald seems to have gotten some more bad news - that Lady Hillaria and the 🎖Genial General are leading the invasion.
Faefina, relaxing in the bath, looks out the window, and down the relatively well lit street. She notices the black ooze again, slithering away from the inn again. From it's direction of travel, she hears a woman screaming and calling for help.
Faefina runs directly to her, and hears that the women and her friends were attacked by some elves on Biffman's Hill. The elves had tall a disgusting creature with them, with desiccated skin and tentacles where it's mouth should be. Gronk recognises it as a mind flayer by description, but also that it sounds like it's dead.
The crowd is staring at Faefina, who is not wearing anything. Gronk using his hat, transforms his image into that of Faefina to distract the crowd.
A strange wave runs through the party, and everyone finds themselves on Level 9.
On the way up to the hill, under the moonlight, Faefina notices that there are too many stars in the sky. Gronk recognises that it might be a Feywild Crossing. Bori remembers old teachings, that state that too many stars indicate reaching into the far realm. Gronk isn't sure if it counts as a Feywild Crossing, and so decides to note it on Delio's scroll in Illusory Script.
The party note a glass bottle with a long neck, filled with swirling mists and giving a peaceful vibe. Faefina takes it for study later.
Faefina realises also that something is following them, and seems to be slithering as it moves.
As the party climbs the hill, the stars seem to wink out, and the night descends. The party finds a tall Mindflayer at the top of the hill, in a ring of elves that seem frozen in place and bleeding out. The party hears the tongues as a voice in their head: 'It is too late'.
Bori punches him in the throat.
Faefina casts Guidng Bolt on the Mindflayer, dealing 9 Rad dmg.
She also casts Spiritual Weapon, dealing another 7 For dmg.
A wave washes over the party, and Gronk is struck dumb and stunned. Faefina and Bori resist it.
The Mindflayer lifts it's arms and starts chanting as the elves melt and reassemble into three masses of flesh.
Bori runs up to the Mindflayer, trying and failing to knock it down.
He unleashes a flurry of blows, but misses each time. He positions himself behind the Mindlfayer.
Gronk remains stunned.
Faefina casts Aid on the party, giving Gronk 10HP back.
She then uses Spiritual Weapon to deal 6 Dmg.
The Mindlfayer turns to Bori, and a tentacle whips out and fills him with cold, as Bori takes 14 Col dmg, while the Mindflayer seems to look a little better.
Bori hits back foour times, hitting each time and dealing 34 Dmg.
Gronk remains stunned.
Faefina casts Lesser Restoration, and Gronk comes to.
Spritiual Weapon deals another 12 Dmg.
The Mindflayer lashes out at Bori, missing twice.
Then it whispers as it looks at Bori: 'It's too late'. Bori feels movement as shapes assemble behind him.
Bori hits the Mindflayer, dealing 34 Dmg.
The Mindflayer screeches in pain.
Looking behind him, Bori sees translucent skin in a vaguely humanoid shape, holding a staff. It is surrounded on each side by hulking brutes.
Gronk casts Fireball at the top of the hill, at Bori's request. Flames engulf the top of the hill, dealing 31Dmg to each creature. Bori escapes with half of that.
Faefina tries Turn Undead on the Mindflayer, but it fails.
The Spiritual weapon does another 6 Dmg.
The Mindflayer steps back, and says: 'My bargain here is completed. You're on your own now, Elf children.' It slams it's staff into the ground, and disappears.
One elven Brute rushes Bori, trying to body slam him and missing.
The thinner amalgam, body riddled with otherworldy worms, throws a mental bolt at Faefina and Gronk, dealing 27 Psy Dmg. It then walks through Bori.
Bori patiently disengages from the two next to him, jumping behind the brute stepping towards Faefina and Gronk. Punching it twicce, Bori hits once, for 13 Dmg.
Gronk casts Wall of Fire, laying down a line of fire covering the three entities, dealing 29Dmg. The thin one screams as the space around it seems to deform.
Faefina fires seeking bolts, dealing 8 Pie on the thin one. It hisses, annd says 'I've watched you Faefina, from the outside, I have seen your path, and could tell you your future'. Faefina declines with a laugh.
It walks through Gronk and lashes at Faefina twice, missing both times. It walks away, and Faefina tries to lash out but misses.
The brute in front of Bori slams into him, dealing 28 Blu dmg.
The other brute goes to flank it's master, the thin one.
Bori, insulted by the body slam, headbutts the brute in front of him, hitting three times and feeling his skull and brains split and start to drip down it's face and over Bori.
Gronk looks at the two remaining creatures, and feeling the magic running through him, says 'What's wrong? Feeling Jelly?'. As the magic of a Synaptic Static spell rolls through him, a distant vpice from the forest joins Faefina in shouting 'Nooo!'. The psychic damage is absorbed by the one brute, and redirected at the party, hitting Bori for 11 Dmg.
A Wolfman bursts out the wood up into the clearing. Running at the thin one, it spins a great axe, hitting twice and dealing 15 Dmg.
Faefina casts Mass Cure wounds, healing everyone for 41Hp.
The spiritual weapon hits the remaining brute, dealing 8 Dmg.
The brute slams Bori and Wolfman, missing both times.
The thin amalgam faces Bori, who finds space and time warping aroundd him. Bori finds himself transported to the other side of the hilltop 60 ft away, and Faefina and Gronk take 39 Psy Dmg.
Bori screams, growing in size, and strides back towards the fight. He hits at the brute but misses.
Gronk reaches towards the Wolfman, and casts Haste on him.
Wolfman lunges at the thin one, hitting twice, dealing 10 biting Dmg to it. Vile flesh drips down his tongue.
Faefina swings at the brute and misses, but the Spiritual Weapon deals 13 Dmg. Worms slip out and down it's tattered flesh.
The brutes hit Wolfman, dealing 18 Psy and 10 Sla dmg.
The thin one steps back, through Bori. Bori reacts, dealing 6 Dmg.
Bori wails on it some more, hitting four times, dealing 41 Dmg and ripping it apart. Dripping chunks of flesh fall to the grass, and what remnants of energy animated it flex and go still.
Gronk looks at the remaining creature, and declares: You look like a garden slug. Power runs through him, and the creature is transformed into a slug.
Wolfman steps forward, and slices what is left to piecces.
Faefina hops towards the Wolfman and thanks him, introducing herself. Walt introduces himself, and says he's been investigating Fey Crossings. The party finds 17Gp ea, and 18 Sapphires ea. The thin one was carrying a staff with bones in it. Bori holds onto the staff, waiting for it to be identified. Grappling with how his anger had overtaken him, the Genasi priestess, Huluna, appears next to him. 'What a shame you don't know anyone who can identify this...'.
Bori prepares to attack, and Huluna tells Faefina to control her pet.
Bori hits her three times, and Huluna semms to enjoy the impact of the blows.
She thanks the party for giving Neo-Bori the juice he needed, and runs off. Walt tells Bori to let it go. Barely persuaded, Gronk transforms to Bori's image and offers to chase Huluna in his stead for him. The party trudges back to town.
The townspeople gather around, and a man steps forward, announces himself as "'Luther van Malachi", leader of the Cranes in the area, and invites them for dinner, assuring them that Kineeta is also safe. The party quickly picks up that the man has sinister motivations, and has moved Kineeta upstairs. Something is wrong.
Faefina casts Zone of Truth, and the man reveals that he intends to imprison them for working for Judaxis, and plans on waiting for Joanne to come and fetch them.
Party members each get 7 267XP ea.